Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships - Day 12
by Richard Palfreyman 14 Dec 2011 13:43 GMT
3-18 December 2011
Light winds hampered the start of competition on Day 12 of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, with sailors’ patience and skill tested with top wind speeds of 16 knots in the afternoon on Wednesday.
Women’s Match Racing
Sailors competing in the Women’s Match Racing quickly put their frustrating wait for a breeze behind them as they moved courses to fight their way through the knockout quarterfinals.
Light winds on day 12 forced the course to be moved out of Fremantle’s Inner Harbour in search of better breeze on the open water out by Rous Head, much to the delight of the sailors.
“Today was more like real match racing,” Anna Tunnicliffe (USA-1) said. “There were much steadier winds and it was so exciting to be out on a new course. It was a great day in the end.”
After the four-hour delay, France’s Claire Leroy, Lucy Macgregor (GBR), Russia’s Ekaterina Skudina and Anna Tunnicliffe (USA-1) quickly switched into race mode in the better wind conditions, skippering their boats to victory in their first two respective matches.
With the right side of the course seeming to have more consistent pressure, those who kept to the favoured side had little trouble keeping their lead.
Leroy (FRA-1) led from start to finish over Sweden’s Anna Kjellberg (SWE-1) in the opening match of Flight 91, Great Britain’s Macgregor had little trouble against Mandy Mulder (NED-1), Skudina (RUS) held off Australia’s Olivia Price in AUS-2 and Tunnicliffe took victory over Nicky Souter in AUS-1.
A second win to each of the winning boats in the second flight of the day, put the pressure and excitement on Flight 93 with Kjellberg (SWE), Mulder (NED-1), Price (AUS-2) and Souter (AUS-1) needing to win to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
Kjellberg (SWE) gave it everything against Leroy (FRA-1) from the prestart, maintaining her lead well downwind and rounding the leeward mark ahead. The Swedish skipper was still within attacking distance as Leroy rounded the last mark in front.
With the two boats bow to bow heading for the finish line, Leroy managed to cross first to secure her place in Thursday’s semi-final.
“We’re two steps closer to the trophy now,” the French skipper said. “We are so happy to be going into the semi-finals.”
With her World Championship title hopes on the line, Netherlands skipper Mandy Mulder pounced on Lucy Macgregor’s lead as the British skipper struggled with her spinnaker. With Macgregor then picking up a penalty, Mulder crossed the finish line for her first victory.
Despite starting in good pressure, Olivia Price (AUS-2) was unable to hold off her Russian opponent, with Skudina notching up her third victory to progress through to the semi-final.
Nicky Souter briefly kept Australia’s title hopes alive, making things difficult for Anna Tunnicliffe after USA-1 picked up a penalty early on.
But the world number one skipper managed to take the penalty and then the lead to notch up her third win of the day.
With just one semi-final place remaining Mandy Mulder (NED-1) and Lucy Macgregor (GBR) were the only two boats racing in Flight 94, their fourth match up for the day.
Macgregor crossed ahead of Mulder early, covering her loosely up the second windward leg. Despite carrying some nice pressure down the course, Mulder couldn’t get in front, making Macgregor the fourth and final boat through to the semis.
The knockout quarterfinal format saw four head-to-head matches between eight boats in the best of five flights. The first to claim three wins progressed through to the semi-finals.
Women’s Match Racing is scheduled to move from the harbour to the Centre course on Thursday from 1200 local time.
Star
Brazil’s Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada have extended their overall lead to six points thanks to two good results on Wednesday and their closest competitors failing to place well.
Scheidt and Prada won Race 7, the first for the day, 40 seconds clear and recovered from seventh early in Race 8 to finish third.
The Brazilians are now on 30 points, six points clear of Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Faith (USA) who are second overall.
The Star fleet has two races on Friday before Saturday’s Medal Race.
Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki from Poland were ranked second on overall points after Tuesday’s competition, but were forced to quit Wednesday’s first race after receiving a second yellow flag.
In third place overall is the German duo, Robert Stanjek and Frithjof Kleen, on 43 points.
Men’s RS:X
Dutchman Dorian van Rijsselberghe shares the overall lead with Israel's Nimrod Mashich after light winds plagued Centre Course on Wednesday.
It is close at the top however with just two points separating van Rijsselberghe (NED), Mashich (ISR) and Piotr Myszka (POL), who is in third.
The Blue and Yellow fleets had one race apiece, leaving van Rjisselberghe and Mashich tied in first place overall while Olympic Games veteran, Joao Rodrigues (POR), just made it into the top ten in 10th place.
Light winds of less than 10 knots forced race officials to postpone race 5 in the Yellow fleet for almost an hour. A 70-degree wind shift then forced the race to be abandoned after it had started.
Once racing resumed it was Spain’s Ivan Pastor who took the initial lead with Julien Bontemps (FRA), Jon Paul Tobin (NZL), Nimrod Mashich (ISR) and Joao Rodrigues (POR) following in his wake. But in a sharp changeover, Rodrigues overtook while Andreas Cariolou (CYP) also caught up.
The race ended with a win for Rodrigues, with Pastor second and Cariolou third while Tuesday’s favourite Nimrod Mashich (ISR) finished fourth.
World number eight and Greece’s only Men’s RS:X competitor, Byron Kokalanis, immediately took charge in the Blue fleet with a clear lead ahead of Myszka (POL) and van Rijsselberghe (NED) in 11 knot winds.
But when it seemed as though Koklanis was bound for a win, Shahar Zubari (ISR) proved his world number three ranking, cutting in from the outside to join the leading three.
There was a cluster of sailors on the final leg of the race, so much so that it was hard to tell who out of Zubari, van Rijsselberghe, Myszka, Koklanis, Pierre le Coq (FRA) and Elliot Carney (GBR) was leading.
But van Rijsselberghe emerged to take first place, closely followed by Myszka in second and Zubari third.
49er
While Denmark’s Peter Kruger Andersen and Nicolai Thorsell finished Tuesday top of the fleet, a capsize in race 7 on Wednesday saw them drop to 15th position overall.
New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke came third in race 7 but only managed a 12th in race 8.
Australia’s Iain Jensen and Nathan Outterridge, ranked first in the world, sailed top 10 finishes to be third overall at end of race 8, the last for the day.
The Blue fleet almost didn’t sail Wednesday because of the light wind, but went ahead with a win for Great Britain’s John Pink and Rick Peacock, who finished 40 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Charlie Enlund Ekberg and Kalle Torlen in race 7.
Winds crept up to 16 knots towards the end of race 7, but by the time the boats were in sequence for race 8, the water was flat and winds were back down to 12 knots.
Race 8 finally started around 1700 local time and was won by Australia’s Will and Sam Phillips.
Pink and Peacock came in sixth, which was good enough to take top spot overall by four points from Stephane Christidis and Emmanuel Dyen (FRA).
There was one notable rise to fame: French sailors Yann Rocherieux and Mathieu Frei improved their overall standing from 67th position to 14th, thanks to an eighth and a third on Wednesday.
Laser
While defending world champion Tom Slingsby (AUS) was setting the pace with his fourth win on the third day of Laser racing, the rest of the field was jockeying for positions in the all-important Gold fleet.
Slingsby won and then had a poor ninth when the wind swung from the right to the left, but the ninth is discarded for the moment as he leads the fleet with a net 10 points.
Great Britain’s Paul Goodison is seven points in arrears with a sixth and a first on Wednesday to maintain second position, while Germany’s Simon Groteluschen held on to third place with 19 points because of identical finishes to Goodison.
Australian Ashley Brunning moved up six positions to fourth while Austrian Andreas Geritzer was one of the biggest movers of the day, rising 11 places to fifth on the back of a first and a fourth.
France’s Jean Baptiste Bernaz slipped one position to sixth and Sweden’s Johan Wigforss was also down one to seventh. Both had seconds with a discard.
Briton Nick Thompson dropped to eighth from fourth and Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic lifted five placings to ninth with a pair of fourths.
The fleets are now split into Gold, Silver and Bronze with the first races on Thursday, a lay day on Friday and final races on Saturday, ahead of Sunday’s Medal Race.
Women’s 470
While Races 5 and 6 of the Women’s 470 competition welcomed new faces to the winner’s circle on Wednesday, the fleet’s overall rankings showed little change.
Spain’s Tara Pacheco and Berta Betanzos maintained their hold on the number one position, with Japan’s Ai Kondo and Tabata Wakako retaining second place.
Gil Cohen and Vered Buskila (ISR) took out first place in Race 5, with the No. 13 ranked duo leading from the start.
Ai Kondo and Wakako Tabato (JPN) tried hard but were unable to catch up and finished second.
The real battle was fought further back in the field.
In the hotly contested clash between several boats for third place, Tarp Pacheco and Berta Betanzos (ESP) narrowly beat France’s Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux.
The race was marked with two general recalls and three Black Flag disqualifications.
Race 6 was anybody’s game until Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (NZL) took the lead at the last mark and held it over the line.
Tina Mrak and Teja Cerne (SLO) were second over the line in Race 6, closely followed by Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR).
The Women’s 470 fleet has a reserve day on Thursday, with races 7 and 8 scheduled for Friday, 16 December.
Day 12 Highlights Video:
www.Perth2011.com
Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern qualify Ireland for 2012 Olympics (from Rachel Solon, Irish Sailing Association)
Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern have officially qualified Ireland for the 2012 Olympics, in the 49er sailing discipline. It will be the first time since Athens 2004 that Ireland have been represented in the 49er class.
The duo currently lie in 10th place overall at the ISAF World Sailing Championships in Perth. The 67 boat fleet now splits into Gold and Silver fleets with the top 25 boats entering the Gold fleet. With only 14 nations in the Gold fleet it is now impossible for Seaton and McGovern to fall outside the top 14 nations thus securing Ireland's place on the start line in London.
Seaton and McGovern had their best day so far on the water today, placing 5th in both races. Racing will continue through to Saturday with the top 10 teams then continuing on to the medal race on Sunday.
ISA Performance Director, James O’Callaghan remarked "It’s a brilliant result for the guys, to be in 6th nation position and to have secure Olympic qualification at this stage is something special".
In the Star, Peter O’Leary and David Burrows had a 16th and a 24th from the fleet of 41. They now slip one place to 15th overall and continue their fight to secure Olympic qualification with only one day of racing left before the medal race on Saturday. The Star class have a rest day tomorrow with their final day of fleet racing taking place on Friday. The top 11 nations will qualify for the Olympics and the Irish pair have maintained their position as the 11th nation.
O'Callaghan went on to say "The Star pair are in control of their own destiny but this is one that will go right down to the wire".
James Espey in the Laser also had his best day on the water with a 3rd and a 20th from the fleet of 147. He now lies 63rd overall, having jumped up the leader board from 100th yesterday.
The 49er and Laser fleets will be racing tomorrow but the Star will be on a rest day. Racing will resume for them on Friday.
USA Qualifies 49er for 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta (from Dana Paxton, US Sailing)
Mark Mendelblatt (Miami, Fla.) and Brian Fatih (Miami, Fla.), who added a 5-4 to their scoreline in the Star, strengthened their stand in second overall. They are tied on points with Robert Stanjek and Frithjo Kleen (GER), who are in third overall; while Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) lead the 41-boat fleet.
Despite a significant delay in getting racing underway on the Indian Ocean, Erik Storck (Huntington, N.Y.) and Trevor Moore (North Pomfret, Vt./Naples, Fla.) kept their focus and went out to try and build on Tuesday’s success. Things didn’t go according to plan with the team finishing 15-20 for 13th overall.
“We knew we needed two decent races on the board,” said Storck. “The first race was less painful than the second. In the second, we pulled the trigger early and went back,” said Storck, about their decision to restart the race when they thought they were over the starting line early. “We started 15 seconds after and fought back to 20th, but that was all we could do. We were far behind and we fought back really well. With one more lap maybe we could have made a top 10.”
The finishes still qualified the duo for the gold fleet. One race is planned for Thursday. “We just wish we had a better position going into gold,” continued Storck. “We are six points out of medal race and a lot of racing left.”
The bonus for Storck and Moore is qualifying the USA for the 2012 Olympic Games in the 49er class.
In the ultra-competitive Laser class, which was divided into three fleets, Clay Johnson (Toms River, N.J.) had a great day and added 8-6 by smartly playing the shifts. He is now in 12th place overall.
“Today was a really tricky day,” said Johnson. “When we started we weren’t sure if the sea breeze would fill in, but it backed off and it was really lumpy and squirrely. While I think I could’ve sailed better, an 8-6 is two keeper scores.”
The second race was a key for Johnson. “I won the pin in a huge lefty, tacked and crossed the fleet. I did what I thought was smart, and it helped me to lead to the next shift. There were a few stragglers behind me, but I was fourth around. We were pretty fortunate the top 4-5 punched out and we battled it out; maybe too much because a few other guys caught up with us.”
With an uncharacteristically light wind day, the sea breeze was prevented from coming in. “We were a little concerned about the weather and what the sea breeze was going to do. I was fortunate to watch the other two fleets and have the third star. That helped me to make a plan.”
Johnson qualified for the gold fleet, where the top 50 boats advance, all trying to make the top 10 for the final medal race on Dec. 18. “Today was the last of the easier races,” continued Johnson. “The gold fleet is ruthless. That’s why I wanted to get two good places and get into a good position.”
Gold fleet gives potential to change strategy. “It’s important to stay aggressive and try and rattle off good scores,” said Johnson. “You can’t beat yourself up. You’ll see higher scores and it’s important to beat as many boats as you can. Really, it’s early and the points are so close. There’s going to be a lot of shuffling around. My goal for the next two days is to go out and have four good races.”
Anna Tunnicliffe’s (Plantation, Fla.) Team Maclaren of Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) advanced to the Women’s Match Racing Semi-Finals by defeating Nicky Souter (AUS) in three straight matches.
The first two matches were fairly textbook, but in the last race of the “first to three wins” series, Tunnicliffe was given a penalty in the prestart for falling out of a dial up into their opponents. “With a penalty, we had to plan (how to get out of it) around the race course,” said Tunnicliffe. “We traded the lead twice, and we got it back at the top. Going downwind we looked to burn the penalty off. We tried to spin it off and we rounded behind them at the bottom mark. We caught a wave and surfed in. They lee bowed us and we were able to hold them out. We had a good lead and it wasn’t that close coming to the finish. We gained two lengths up the last beat, had a good set and won.”
On Thursday, the world #1 team faces Ekaterina Skudina (RUS). “She’s a great sailor,” said Tunnicliffe. “We’re sailing really fast and we’re going to try and keep doing what we’ve been doing all along.”
World #1 duo Erin Maxwell (Wilton, Conn.) and Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar (New York/Fishers Island, N.Y.) brought their overall score up to 14th overall with two decent finishes of 7-12. The Women’s 470 (Women's Two Person Dinghy) has a reserve day on Thursday, with racing scheduled to pick back up on Friday.
In Men’s RS:X, Bob Willis (Chicago, Ill.) was the sole American board sailor to advance to the gold round. He now needs to finish ahead of one other country to qualify the USA for Men’s RS:X at the Games.